The Cody Firearms Museum is one of five museums in a complex at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West (formerly named Buffalo Bill Historical Center), in Cody, Wyoming- just east of Yellowstone NP.  I saw this museum a couple years ago after visiting the park, and I thought it was great.  4000 of the 7000+ firearms in the collection are actually on display.  I was reminded of it when someone invited my attention to a video presentation that the curator, Ashley Hlebinski, had produced on historic firearms.  First- a brief overview and pics of the museum, and lastly- an exhibition of points that Miss Hlebinski brings up when she discusses how firearms can be presented in museums, within the context of the planned $10M remodel of her museum.

The museum itself---

From the website:

"The Cody Firearms Museum at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West houses the most comprehensive collection of American firearms in the world. In 1975, the Winchester Arms Collection, the heart of this museum, adventured west as a loan from the Olin Corporation. It was deeded as a gift in 1988. To date, the Cody Firearms Museum has over 7,000 firearms with more than 30,000 firearms-related artifacts.

Winchester-made guns are not the only manufacturer you will see here, though; virtually every significant manufacturer in the world is represented! Visitors are able to explore the evolution of modern arms technology from its earliest days through today’s outstanding variations. Whether you are interested in sporting, military, embellished, or even Hollywood guns, there is something for all visitors to enjoy.

Gun collectors can take advantage of the Cody Firearms Museum Records Office to acquire information about individual firearms manufactured by Winchester, Marlin, and L.C. Smith. Factory letters are available to Cody Firearms Museum members and non-members for a fee."

Cody Firearms Museum website


Entry display of firearms used in the West:




Racks of firearms on pull out displays:




20th century arms on display:




Machine shop display:

Firearms presentation in museums:

The Cody Firearms Museum is planning for a $10 million dollar remodeling of the displays, and integral to that is the way Miss Hlebinski would like to present these displays.  She talks about her display presentation philosophy at other museums around the country, and makes a lot of good points. One point (and I do paraphrase and not quote here!) is that firearms museums mostly tend to appeal to enthusiasts, and generally leave the general public with a feeling of "gee, that's a lot of guns" and not coming away with a sense of importance of firearms in our culture.  Another point she makes is that there are a lot of museums that have collections of firearms, and don't know how to display them effectively, or refuse to display their collections at all.  Her idea is to appeal to a broader spectrum of visitor- to provide education and context to neophytes, and helping to counteract the preconceived notions that people bring with them when they visit a firearms museum.  She wants people to come away with a more personal connection to displays- and brings up an example of how she as a museum trainee handled a Civil War soldier's rifle where he carved the names of battles in which he fought into the stock--- which resonated with her.  This sense of bringing alive the stories of people who owned and used the guns on display is an effective tool of letting people connect with the firearms, and also help bring them deeper into the broader historical context in which the firearms were used.

As we have seen in the news of late, it is important to try to educate the public and keep them from making uninformed decisions.  I won't recap all of her ideas and points here- as she does an effective job of presenting them on her own.  I'll link a couple of videos- pretty much the same presentation at different venues- ranging from about 45 minutes to 1 hour+ in length.  I thought that we who are interested in history might find this an important topic.


"Displaying the politically incorrect" lecture at Blackhawk Museum

"Taboo Subjects" lecture at Art Institute of Chicago

Lecture at CM Russell Museum, Montana





A bonus to the discussion- while searching, I found a thesis by Barbara Eldredge-- Missing the Modern Gun: Object Ethics in Collections of Design, which discusses how art museums do not wish to display firearms despite their significance.

Her thesis abstract:

"Firearms are absent from all American collections of contemporary design, in spite of their importance to design history and their enduring significance in the culture at large. Even when they are discussed in a design-historical context, it is all too easy to ignore the moral implications that color our perception of guns. Why can firearms be displayed in art, history, and military museums but not design museums? What does moral good have to do with the Museum of Modern Art?

To answer these questions, I met with dozens of design historians, curators, product designers, and firearms industry professionals and explored the writings of theorists interested in museums, ethics, and design. My research revealed a  wide range of (sometimes divergent) perspectives on the ethical implications of objects, the unique characteristics of design museums, and the role guns play in American society.

A gun is much more than its capacity to consistently and accurately expel a projectile in the desired direction. Firearms in civilian American culture are more often used as symbols and physical metaphors than utilitarian tools for killing. Whether one is a gun control advocate or a shotgun-toting member of the National Rifle Association,  Americans are encouraged to perform their ethical values through a relationship with firearms. When the Museum of Modern Art or any design collection excludes firearms and designed weapons, it is symbolically excluding violence from the world of design; though an understandable aspiration, the result is not an accurate representation of contemporary reality.

Designers don’t just make elegant chairs and toasters and iPhone apps, they also make elegant bombs and landmines and guns. In battle, these weapons separate the user from the dangers of physical and emotional proximity. However, there are hazards to not being confronted with the implications of our actions and our objects. Museums are traditionally institutions of education and contemplation, illustrating social values through historical artifacts or art. Today, many design collections effectively serve as object-based ethical codes revealing how to live a “good” life. Nonetheless, exhibition of a firearm within a design museum would provide the physical and mental space to think about the implications of firearms as designed objects, catalyzing new discussions of guns, design, and morality."

Pdf of Barbara Eldredge thesis

I'd buy a ticket

One of our students landed an internship there for the summer once.

Was just there a couple weeks ago. Sign at the door says something like- All visible firearms must be checked with security. A sign as you are leaving says- Don't forget anything you checked with security.

Great museum and well worth it. Tickets are good for two days and you will need both if you even hope to see everything.

OST

Joe Mantanga shoots his "GUNS" episodes there?

There is also another firearms museum in Cody that I intend to stop at the next time I am out there.  It's called the Dug Up Gun Museum.  So the next time you find an old rust bucket firearm while in your travels they will take it for their collection.  

Dug Up Gun Museum

Thank you for posting this.  I spent an incredible couple of days at the Cody Museum some years ago - came away thinking the facility should be designated a National Treasure.